Tinnitracks — A New Audio App Claims to Treat Tinnitus

http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/19/a-new-audio-app-claims-to-treat-tinnitus/



Tinnitus affects the ears but it originates in the brain. The condition, which causes ringing in the ears, is mainly triggered by age-related hearing loss and prolonged exposure to excessively loud noise. But neuroscientific studies reveal that tinnitus is a symptom of abnormal hyperactivity in the brain's auditory cortex. While most people affected by it resign themselves to chronic pain, Tinnitracks, a new web-based app, claims to treat the cause of the problem through filtered audio therapy.

The premise of the app, from German startup Sonormed, is neuroplasticity, or the brain's ability to adapt and constantly learn new things. The app analyzes individual tracks and filters the frequency that causes tinnitus for each user. On playback, the listener's hearing adapts to the audible alteration (or notches) and over time the hyperactivity in the brain is toned down. Essentially, it takes three steps: select music files from personal collection, filter tinnitus frequency and upload a personalized track to an MP3 player to start therapy.

Tinnitracks was one of nine winners at SXSW's Accelerator startup competition this past weekend. The therapy breaks ground by going a step beyond conventional methods of managing symptoms and effectively treats the condition that affects 50 million Americans. The prescribed music listening experience is one to two hours a day for at least six months. With consistent effort, the therapy could treat subjective, tonal and even chronic conditions. For those who still insist on taking on the high-decibel concert season without earplugs, this might be a good app to bookmark.

 

Does this work? Has anyone tried it? Notched filtered music has been around for a while. At 539 Euros not cheap. I think anyone with a bit of audio savvy (Steve comes to mind) could actually make this music for free.

 

Today in a Dutch newspaper there is an article about Tinnitracks and that it can cure tinnitus.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/digitaal/23821705/__App_tegen_oorsuizen___.html

The official website is here
http://www.tinnitracks.com/en

To me it is just like notched sound therapy so there is no difference in any other notched sound therapy.

Do some people have experience with this?

 

There is a similar VERY good app that does the same notched music therapy.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tinnitus-pro-music-therapy/id509483936?mt=8

 

It appears to be an incredibly simple tool made complicated, with a proportionally large price tag.

The link by @Sound Wave is the same tool, it is a very basic filter working on the exact same principle. The difference as I understand it in Tinnitracks is that it processes each track rather than just filtering your music collection as you listen (the easiest way to do it but more difficult to charge a subscription for).

Nothing groundbreaking, been around for years, the writer of the article just didn't do their research.

 

It seems this company simply wants to make as much money as possible through the misery of others. That price tag is absurd.

 

539€ for an app? Never! That is an insolence.

For 539€ I want a real treatment.

 

Thanks Steve for your post. So I am ok buying this much cheaper APP and than let it rework any playlist?
Or do we have anything which can be run on PC?
Thanks

 

Hi Robb,

You can use the apps or you can do it yourself for free. This thread has a few guides on how to do that https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/notched-music-therapy-diy-audionotch-etc.61/page-2

 

Hi Steve,
Thanks. I logged in to AudioNotch and at the time in November 2013 I measured my tinnitus to be 16,5 kHz. Is sound therapy than still effective? As AudioNotch says above 13 kHz it is not proven to be effective...
Any advice is welcome! Thanks

 

No it probably won't be. It has to notch out a frequency so when you get into frequencies as high as that you are effectively just cutting out the high frequency as your hearing won't perceive high enough. Unless you have incredibly good hearing of course.

Music is quite limited for notching too, it generally doesn't have a whole load going on at really high frequencies, much better for tinnitus at a lower frequency. If it's higher you need to use a broadband noise that has plenty going on up there.

 

Guys, instead of sidelining Tinnitracks... let's try and find some people who are using it and see if it really works? Why else is it gaining so much recognition? Obviously they must have tried it on some people first!
I think people here would gladly pay 589 euros if it tones down their tinnitus by 70-80%.

Any help or feedback on Tinnitracks would be great!!

 

Hi @Neil991

I don't think that it's being unfairly sidelined. It's just that it is absolutely identical to Audionotch, which has been around for years and the principle is identical to the "tinnitus pro" app. Plus it is also relatively easy to do exactly the same therapy yourself.

The main reason it is gaining such recognition is that it has a lot of money behind it. With money you can do a lot of things, attend all the shows, buy publicity and enter every competition that will give you notoriety.

They aren't doing anything bad or misleading, the therapy genuinely will likely work for a group of people, there is a body of research that tells us this. It's just a copy of current therapies and a lot more expensive than them.

 

Hey @Steve

I am new and have never tried anything for my tinnitus. Do you think I should give this or Tinnitus Pro a try and see if it works on me? What I mean to ask is are there any negative effects of this therapy?

Also, are you aware of any company or any drug which is underway? I sincerely hope that help is on the way!


Regards
Neil

 

Ah now there's a question that could yield a pretty large answer.

There are a few things to look out for, but rather than me go through them here take a look at the treatment and research news sections and you'll see what gets the most attention.

Notched audio could work for you, it may be worth trying, I recommend the free route first to see how you respond. If you want any help with that just PM me. There are also other audio possibilities, it really is a matter of trying them though as people respond in different ways to audio treatments, no one-size-fits-all approach unfortunately.

 

Is there a good notched audio app for Android? All the ones I've seen so far are for iPhone.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/innova...app-first-german-start-receive-172714047.html

A soon-to-be-released app for treating tinnitus turned heads at the South-by-Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas for its innovative approach to treatment.

With Tinnitracks, treating tinnitus is as simple as listening to your favorite music for at least one hour per day for six months in a quiet surrounding.

Tinnitus is characterized by a constant ringing in the ear despite an absence of sound, which indicates over-activity in the corresponding set of auditory nerves.

Requiring no special equipment, all it takes is uploading your music to the app, which determines the therapeutic potential of each track.

Suitable tunes are described as having high auditive energy and should fall within frequency ranges corresponding to that of your tinnitus throughout the duration of the track.

The app assesses your music for these criteria and others using a neuro-acoustic method, according to the company.

Once it's picked out the tunes pertinent to treating your tinnitus, the app filters your tinnitus frequency out of the music files.

By distracting your eardrums with sounds in frequencies other than that of your tinnitus, the hyperactivity in the nerves that cause tinnitus get channeled elsewhere.

The app, which stores and plays music in MP3 format, is not capable of measuring your individual tinnitus frequency, so patients are advised to seek out the help of a hearing aid audiologist or doctor to determine it.

Hamburg-based parent company Sonormed won the SXSW Start-up Accelerator Award in the Digital Health and Life Sciences Technologies category, making it the first German company to take that honor.

Currently, Tinnitracks is a web-based app and a one-year subscription costs $539.

The company is working on a smartphone app.

Other solutions for treating tinnitus include Mutebutton, which stimulates the nerves on the tongue that connect to the brain.

Other options for sufferers of tinnitus include the Levo platform from Otoharmonics, which is accessible on an iPod Touch that's included when patients sign up for treatment.

A 2014 study conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston says drinking coffee could reduce the risk of tinnitus.

 

I think it's just business... people try to make money... they know there a millions of people with tinnitus in fear and hope. My ENT already said: 'Watch out for business people who claim a tinnitus cure, they know people are in fear and hope and will try everyting. But forget is, it will not work, there is nothing for tinnitus, only try to live with it'.

 

Doubtfull about this threatment, just read the article in my local news paper.
Good thing is the company in The Netherlands is located near my town, so I might get a chat with those entrepreneurs.

It it probally money related, the article says that approximately 6,5 BILIION!! Euro's are lost due to Tinnitus. This is only in The Netherlands let alone in the US, Germany etcetera. At least this number will give government the need for more research.

If I go to the company, I will tell you guys if you might have any questions I can ask the,.

Bas.

BTW, the newspaper says it will cost around 19 Euro per month

 

Hello!

I just wondered if anyone has tested this or some similar app? If so, did it work for you? I also read somewhere about that they are developing some kind of video game that somehow is based on this or some similar functionality. Anyone who knows more about that? I think it was some university in the USA that worked on it.

Please observe that I'm new to this forum and also pretty new to tinnitus so I'm sorry if I have some stupid questions.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Best regards,
Peter

 

It's notched audio therapy, disguised in an expensive rip off package.

 

There are some fairly straightforward instructions to do it yourself for free here:

http://www.notchtherapy.com/

 

Thanks a lot! I will read more about it and see if it can be something for me.

Thanks dboy! I will have a look at it and see if it's something that I should try out.

 

You can do the same thing with Audacity and it is free. You can notch noise, and music. Combine noise with music, or tones. With the BAND STOP FILTER you can notch from one frequency to I think it is four octaves. You can combine different tracks, adjust the sound to be louder in one ear than the other, you can adjust the sound so one track is louder than the other. There is so many things you can do with the program with a little experience. I would check this before paying a bunch of money for something that does the same thing. My T has be ongoing now for one year this month. I have been able to get some temp relief, but it still jumps up and bites me. I have had it as low as a 1 on the scale of 1-10, but do far the longest it has lasted is a couple of days. Learning to cope a bit better. If anyone has a question you can leave a message and I will try and answer it, regarding Audacity.
Ragman

 

http://crackmagazine.net/2016/10/new-therapy-claims-cure-tinnitus-music/

Anyone heard of this?

 

Hi, I have been using Tinnitracks since March this year, fortunately it was covered by the health care system here in Germany. Initially I was very optimistic, so much so I invested in an expensive pair of Bose ear buds as I would have to wear them for 90 minutes a day minimum so comfort was important.

Initially after listening to my music which had been notched I noticed that my tinnitus appeared louder, I was advised this was to be expected. 7 months later I can say i have seen no improvement in the volume of my tinnitus.

What has changed though is the frequency, it has raised from 8400 Hz to just under 10000 Hz. I am not sure if this is a good thing and my audiologist stated that a change is good... I will let you know after the treatment finishes in March 2018.

 

I have looked at Tinnitracks and gave it a thumbs down within seconds!!

As previously commented, it is an over priced variant of notched therapy.

Another thing to be aware of and this applies to ANY therapeutic system that uses music as its foundation, if you have hyperacusis in tandem with tinnitus it likely will not be effective.

Hyperacusis has to be treated as a separate issue from tinnitus.

Also if your tinnitus was caused and/or triggered by exposure to loud noises, using headphones will have the effect of exacerbating, rather than easing tinnitus.

 

Tried it, it just mixed up your tinnitus frequency with your song and makes you listen to it for 30 minutes or something daily... don't ask me how I got the app tho.